Entitled „CHORal TOTAL”, the 2024 Leipzig Bachfest celebrates two anniversaries between 7-16 June: 500 years of Luther chorales and 300 years of Johann Sebastian Bach’s cycle of chorale cantatas.
In 1524, Martin Luther published the first Protestant hymnbook in Wittenberg and in doing so laid the foundations for the grand tradition of Protestant chorales. Since then, generations of composers have used them as a springboard for experimentation, among them Johann Sebastian Bach: in his second year in Leipzig, the Thomaskantor chose the Lutheran chorale to be the musical DNA of his entire annual cycle of cantatas.
In 1724-25, Bach composed a good 50 cantatas based on well-known church hymns. At the 2024 Leipzig Bachfest, they will be performed in 16 concerts by 30 Bach choirs from five continents – artistic director Michael Maul’s continuation of the concept behind the 2022 Leipzig Bachfest, which brought Bach ensembles, from amateur choirs to professional ensembles, to Leipzig from all over the world.
Also celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2024 is Bach’s first Leipzig Passion oratorio, the St. John Passion. The Passion will be performed in three different formats:
- a historically informed performance by the THOMANERCHOR Leipzig, conducted by the cantor of St. Thomas’ Andreas Reize and with the same musical forces as at Bach’s time
- a stage performance by the Bonn ensemble Vox Bona, and
- at BachStage on Leipzig’s Markt square, an admission-free and barrier-free version performed and simultaneously signed by the ensemble Sing & Sign, in which the audience is invited to sing along with the chorales.
A total of 157 events are scheduled for this festival season in more than 30 venues in and around the town.
More informations here.